It was a sad affair, so much to lose and so little to gain from the clearfelling this 99 hectares of pristine forest.

Is it time to seek ministerial intervention? If you are concerned about VCATs determination, then write to your local member, write to the Ministers and the Premier too, it is time that the Labour Government really understood how our community feels when our local planning policies are completely ignored and loggers get the go ahead to clearfell land with significant environmental values.

Wednesday, October 04, 2006

logging in hoddles creek - what can you do?

Does the logging at 565 Thonemans Road breach the federal Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act?

How the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 may apply:

In 1999 the Australian Parliament enacted far-reaching reforms to national environment protectionlaws with the introduction of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (the EPBC Act). Amongst other things, the EPBC Act makes it an offence for any person to take an action that is likely to have a significant impact on matters protected by the Act, unless they have the approval of the Australian Minister for the Environment and Heritage (the Environment Minister).

Those protected matters include matters of National Environmental Significance (NES matters) as well as the environment of Commonwealth land.

There are seven NES matters protected by the EPBC Act:* World Heritage properties (places inscribed on the World Heritage list)* National Heritage places (from 1 January 2004);* Wetlands of international importance (listed under the Ramsar Convention)* Migratory species (listed under international agreements)* Nationally threatened species and ecological communities (listed under the EPBC Act)* The Commonwealth marine area; and* Nuclear matters.

Currently under the EPBC Act there are two species listed that are potentially on site in Hoddles Creek, Leadbeater's Possum and Tall Astelia.

Although a member of the public cannot refer an action to the Minister or the Department, if a member of the public believes that an action breaches the EPBC Act (in this case the logging may threaten a listed species), they may contact the Department of Environment and Heritage or write to the Commonwealth Environment Minister to report the action. The Department then investigates the matter.

If you would like to report a compliance issue contact the DEH at:Compliance and Enforcement contactsEmail:compliance@deh.gov.auPhone: (02) 6274 1372Fax: (02) 6274 1878Post: Department of the Environment and HeritageCompliance and Enforcement SectionApprovals and Wildlife DivisionGPO Box 787Canberra ACT 2601

About Me

It's a great honour and privilege to serve the people of the Lyster Ward. I was voted onto council in 2005 and have been re-elected twice since with a Greens record 58.93% primary vote in 2012. I'm passionate about the community and I enjoy working with them to shape an even better future. This term on council I will be representing the various township groups in Lyster, Belgrave Hub Project Steering Committee Birdsland Advisory Committee, Burrinja, Eastern Regional Libraries Corp, Eastern Transport Coalition, Fire Management Committee, Graffiti Working Group and the Municipal Emergency Management Committee. In 2009 I was elected as Chairperson of the Eastern Transport Coalition and continue to serve in that role. In 2011 I was elected President of the Victorian Local Governance Association after serving two years as Treasurer. In Dec 2013 I stood down as President as I was preselected to run for the Greens in Eastern Metropolitan in the 2014 state election. IMAGES FROM THIS BLOGSITE MAY NOT BE REPRODUCED OR REPUBLISHED WITHOUT PERMISSION, if you wish to use an image just ask by emailing samantha.dunn@vic.greens.org.au. ANONYMOUS AND/OR OFFENSIVE COMMENTS WILL NOT BE PUBLISHED.